Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
CMS has announced a new mandate that requires all nursing home employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Non-compliant nursing homes stand to lose federal funding if they allow non-vaccinated staff to continue to work. According to federal data, approximately 60% of nursing home staff is currently vaccinated.
The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised individuals. CMS, in response, is assuring that eligible Medicare beneficiaries can receive it with no cost sharing. CMS will share more information and guidance in the coming days about billing and coding for the additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine […]
A statewide order went into effect August 11 in California that requires proof of vaccination for all SNF visitors. If a visitor cannot prove vaccination status, they must provide a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the visit. All visitors, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask as well. […]
Texas’ Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is granted the authority to set immunization requirements by the Texas Education Code, Chapter 38. If you attended school from grades K-12, then you are familiar with these mandatory vaccines, e.g., measles, tuberculosis, tetanus, and polio. Vaccine mandates didn’t start with COVID-19, and they won’t end there, either. […]
In an attempt to vaccinate homebound individuals, CMS announced June 9 an additional payment for administrating the COVID-19 vaccine in-home for Medicare beneficiaries who have a hard time leaving home. “There are approximately 1.6 million adults 65 or older who may have trouble accessing COVID-19 vaccinations because they have difficulty leaving home,” the CMS press […]
Updated technical assistance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) clarifies how employers can require or encourage employees to take a COVID-19 vaccine, but attorneys advising employers point out how the document also contains cautions. The EEOC updated its technical assistance on May 28 to address questions about how federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws may be […]
On March 21, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a national emphasis program (NEP) to focus its enforcement efforts on preventing employees from contracting COVID-19 and protecting those who report unsafe working conditions. In general, an NEP is a method by which OSHA temporarily focuses its resources on a specific danger or […]
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance has confirmed employers may require a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment and/or to return to the workplace. Employers that choose to do so, however, need to be careful about how they implement the vaccine requirements. Who Will Administer Vaccine? Under the EEOC’s guidance, administering the COVID-19 vaccine […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) announcement that people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can shed their masks in many settings, including indoors, no doubt came as welcome news to mask-weary workers, but employers are warned not to relax rules too quickly. For one thing, the CDC announcement applies only to fully vaccinated people. […]
CMS has increased the Medicare payment rate for administering monoclonal antibodies to treat beneficiaries with COVID-19, continuing coverage under the Medicare Part B COVID-19 vaccine benefit. Beneficiaries pay nothing out of pocket, regardless of where the service is furnished – including in a physician’s office, health care facility or at home, CMS states in the […]